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Don't Get Zapped!

Read below about lightning, and then take the Don't Get Zapped! Quiz to see how safe you are about lightning at Bryce Canyon National Park. After taking the quiz, you can print yourself a Certificate!

Lightning is dangerous!

One day a visitor came to Bryce Canyon National Park. He was standing under a blue sky, and all of a sudden he was struck by lightning and lost his life. He didn't pay attention to a dark thunderstorm that was only a few miles away. That storm sent out an unusual horizontal lightning bolt which killed him.

National Park Service arrowhead

NPS

A National Park Service Ranger has the record for being zapped the most by lightning. Ranger Roy "Dooms" Sullivan was struck by lightning a total of 7 times over 40 years...and lived through every single strike! However, these are what lightning did to him:

knocked off his big toenail

burned off his eyebrows

set his hair on fire

threw him out of his truck

burned his chest, stomach and shoulder

We are sad about these tragedies, but there is some good news. Only 3 people have been killed by lightning at Bryce Canyon in approximately 20 years -- even though our National Park has the highest lightning hazard density in the state of Utah! As you can see, most of our visitors have a safe and memorable trip to spectaular Bryce Canyon. You can be safe, too! Read on to find out what you and your family need to know.

Lightning is electricity; thunder is a sound wave.

Although they are called "thunderstorms," it's not the thunder that is especially dangerous. Thunder is loud and scarey-sounding, but lightning can zap you.

Lightning is electricity, just like the kind that comes out of a home wall socket into a lamp or TV. Lightning is caused by tiny, subatomic particles that have a + or - charge. When they move from one cloud to another, or from a cloud to the ground...well, that's lightning!

As a lightning bolt travels in a micro-second through the air, it pushes apart the air. This "push" travels as a sound wave which is slower than the flash of lightning. That's why you see the lightning first, and then hear the thunder.

lightning scar on the trunk of a Ponderosa Pine

Barbara Mayer

When Thunder Roars Go Indoors!

When thunder roars, go indoors! You are not safe anywhere outside. Run to a safe building or vehicle when you first hear thunder, see lightning or observe dark threatening clouds developing overhead. Stay inside until 30 minutes after you hear the last clap of thunder. Do not shelter under trees.The building could be the Visitor Center, Bryce Canyon Lodge, or even the bathroom at Sunset Point (which has electricity and plumbing). A bus shelter with open sides will protect you from rain, but not from lightning! You can use the time waiting for the storm to pass working on your Junior Ranger book!

When does Bryce Canyon get lightning?

Bryce Canyon National Park thunderstorms usually happen in the afternoon. So, when you visit the Park, plan to get up early and go hiking in the morning!

According to the following information, which month is likely to have the most precipitation (as rain) and lightning?